Antique Wedding

'Working for Wedding TV definitely helped make my wedding planning simple,' says Rachael Chilton, 37, a producer/director at the satellite channel. She had been making programmes about all-things bridal for a year before cameraman Rich Merrit, 32, proposed.

'I didn't exactly have a file of wedding plans, but I had some mental notes.' Among them was Halswell House in Somerset. 'I'd arranged to see the house for a feature, but when I saw it I fell in love with it,' says Rachael. 'I walked in to the Blue Ballroom upstairs, where we ended up having our ceremony, and I got butterflies in my stomach. I knew it was the one.'

Rachael decided to reflect the house's vintage feel in her wedding look. 'The house set the tone. It also has a bit of a bird theme, with beautiful bird-patterned wallpaper in the Chinese Room and pictures around the house. My husband loves birds, so we used imitation birds in the tablecentres and place names.' After the ceremony, dinner was served downstairs in the Banqueting Hall, before the evening's entertainment was kicked off with a bang: a fireworks display over the garden.

The party continued back upstairs with friends of the couple DJ-ing until the early hours. 'All 70 guests stayed at the house that night. In the morning, we broke up the flower displays to give everyone an armful of flowers - a little bit of our wedding - to take home.'

Rachael chose a vintage-style champagne tulle dress by Luci DiBella (Blackburn Bridal; 020 8297 1188). She paired this with a champagne veil (also from Blackburn Bridal) and headband by Euphoria (euphoriacouture.co.uk) She also wore pearl and crystal T-bars by Emmy (emmyshoes.co.uk) and a marabou shrug by Sasso (sassobridalaccessories.net).